Answer to question 4 on here - wait until you get there to upgrade anything. We chose the free wedding package and then upgraded only what we wanted to. We didn't want/need everything that was offered in the upgrade so it came out cheaper for us to only pay for what we actually wanted. The wedding planner will take care of it all when you have your meeting with her. They do several weddings a day, every day, so they have the planning and coordination down!

I chose the free wedding package as well, I'll be getting married in Oct with 10 guest attending. I'm just worried about a few things. Like do you get to have a 1st dance? What restaurant did you make your reservation at and which would you recommend? Is the garden better then the beach to get married on. Did you use the onsite photography or off site? Was hair and makeup worth it? Did you use your own music? what upgrades did you make? OMG I'm sorry for all the questions I'm just trying to get and idea of what I'm in for. If you can give me any feed back i would appreciate it... Thanks a million.

Congrats! We did the free wedding also with no upgrades and resort photog. We did the dvd which I would highly recommend. I did my makeup but salon did my high, they are very good there. Feathers was our wedding dinner. Fine dining at it's best and we wanted to get married on that gorgeous beach and we were blessed with beautiful weather.
We only played one song as I walked down the isle but used 4 on the dvd.
It was just the two of us and we wanted simple and gorgeous and we got that. You will have a great time, happy planning!

First dance: we didn't do it, but definitely could have right at the beginning of the reception. The wedding planner will ask you if you want to do it or not and she'll get you all set up if so.

Restaurant: we were married at 11 so we had lunch at Patois. A little nicer than the buffet. We arranged in advance to have tables together and reservations made. Ten of us all together. Just send an email now or wait until you get there and tell the wedding coordinator where you want lunch. It was nice to have a table already waiting on us after our wedding instead of waiting for some to be pushed together.

Garden vs beach: the garden is certainly MUCH more private and very nice. Our room was right next to the garden wedding gazebo so we watched a few from our patio. Once we arrived and saw everything, we thought about getting married there for more privacy, but we decided we went to Jamaica to get married on the beach so we would stick with the beach. So glad we did because we loved it with the beach right behind us as we said our vows.

Photography: used off site, Misha Earle. She ends up being cheaper than purchasing every single photograph the on site photographers take. We met friends who there who used couples photographer and they ended up paying more than we did for Misha.

Hair and makeup: I found it was worth it. Around $100 for both, but those ladies can work some serious magic. I'm not good at doing my own hair and they did it perfect. Just have a picture of how you want it and they will duplicate it exactly. They also have good makeup to stay on for the heat and did a nice job applying it.

Music: I didn't want the stress of a wedding so that's why we chose destination. I know music isn't that much of a hassle to pick up, but I decided the simpler the better. I let them choose it. I don't remember exactly what songs they chose, but I do remember thinking that the music was just perfect. I was totally pleased with the music they played.

Upgrades: I upgraded my bouquet and that's all. I think the packages have changed since we were married in April 2012, but we were happy with everything else that was included. You can decide when you get there. The wedding coordinator will go over everything with you. She will show you what's included and what your options are if you want to upgrade.

Good luck! It will be perfect! If you have any more questions feel free to ask away or send me an email. gregory.marye at gmail dot com

Of course make a prior appointment to at he salon for the wedding day. Also If possible have session of pre bridal make up and hair so that you will be sure of what you will look like on the final day.

Thank you so much for the advice. It was a last minute but, still good timing i deceied to do the ceremony and reception in the garden. Just because i really want the privacy along with my 11 guest, own music, and first dance. I'm doing my decoration and bouquets myself much cheaper and easier. I'm really nervous about the hair and make up but I'm going to do the trail just to be sure everything goes great. Thanks for the photographer will ask for her. I wasn't looking forward to the whole wedding thing either but then i thought about it, this will be my 1st and last and how many ppl get to say they got married in Jamaica baby!!!lol so im really looking forward to it. Something new Something different.

Congrats! We did the free wedding also with no upgrades and resort photog. We did the dvd which I would highly recommend. I did my makeup but salon did my high, they are very good there. Feathers was our wedding dinner. Fine dining at it's best and we wanted to get married on that gorgeous beach and we were blessed with beautiful weather.
We only played one song as I walked down the isle but used 4 on the dvd.
It was just the two of us and we wanted simple and gorgeous and we got that. You will have a great time, happy planning!

Thank you for your post, its perfect timing for me. My husband and I would like to renew our vows after 25 years and it will be just the two of us...No fuss,no muss, no guests!
I just have one question for you; when you say that you did the free wedding with no upgrades and resort photography, does that mean you just got the photography that came with the free wedding or was the resort photography you used an add on to the free wedding?
Thanks in advance
Nissi

Nisi324, oh I'm so sorry, I just saw your post from Aug yikes! We got married back in 04 so things have changed. We did get the free wedding but got the smallest photo package at the time which I think was 24 photos in an album plus the negatives. We also got the dvd and it turned out awesome. It's one of my prized possessions, well worth the money imo.

4 the hair it looks like hers is all natural and u didn't say wat urs was...If ur hair is curly...I put gel (or watever u use 2 curl it) on then blow dry curly...I let mine dry then curl it wit a curly iron..4 that look I would do small/medium sections...But u could always go and have a perm put in